Antennaless wireless device capable of operation in multiple frequency regions

Abstract

The present invention refers to an antennaless wireless handheld or portable device comprising: a user interface module, a processing module, a memory module, a communication module and a power management module. The communication module including a radiating system capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic wave signals in a first frequency region and in a second frequency region, wherein the highest frequency of the first frequency region is lower than the lowest frequency of the second frequency region. The radiating system comprising a radiating structure comprising or consisting of at least one ground plane layer capable of supporting at least one radiation mode, the at least one ground plane layer including at least one connection point; at least one radiation booster to couple electromagnetic energy from/to the at least one ground plane layer, the/each radiation booster including a connection point and at least one internal port, wherein the/each internal port is defined between the connection point of the/each radiation booster and one of the at least one connection point of the at least one ground plane layer.

1. An antennaless wireless handheld or portable device comprising:
 a user interface module, 
 a processing module, 
 a memory module, 
 a communication module and, 
 a power management module;
 the communication module including a radiating system capable of transmitting and receiving electromagnetic wave signals in a first frequency region and in a second frequency region, wherein the highest frequency of the first frequency region is lower than the lowest frequency of the second frequency region; said radiating system comprising a radiating structure comprising or consisting of at least one ground plane layer capable of supporting at least one radiation mode, the at least one ground plane layer including at least one connection point; at least one radiation booster to couple electromagnetic energy from/to the at least one ground plane layer, the/each radiation booster including a connection point; and at least one internal port, wherein the/each internal port is defined between the connection point of the/each radiation booster and one of the at least one connection point of the at least one ground plane layer; 
 
 wherein the at least one ground plane layer has associated a ground plane rectangle, the ground plane rectangle being defined as the minimum-sized rectangle that encompasses the at least one ground plane layer so that the sides of the ground plane rectangle are tangent to at least one point of the at least one ground plane layer; 
 the radiating system further comprising a radiofrequency system, and an external port; 
 the radiofrequency system comprising a port connected to each of the at least one internal port of the radiating structure and a port connected to the external port of the radiating system; 
 wherein the input impedance of the radiating structure at the/each internal port when disconnected from the radiofrequency system has an imaginary part not equal to zero for any frequency of the first frequency region; 
 and wherein said radiofrequency system modifies the impedance of the radiating structure, 
 providing impedance matching to the radiating system in the at least two frequency regions of operation of the radiating system. 
 
     
     
       2. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the ratio between a long side of the ground plane rectangle, and the free-space wavelength corresponding to the lowest frequency of the first frequency region is larger than 0.2. 
     
     
       3. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 2 , wherein said ratio is smaller than 1.0. 
     
     
       4. The antennaless wireless device of  claims 1 , wherein the/each radiation booster has a maximum size smaller than 1/50 times the free-space wavelength corresponding to the lowest frequency of the first frequency region, and wherein at least one radiation booster has a maximum size smaller than 1/30 times the free-space wavelength corresponding to the lowest frequency of the second frequency region. 
     
     
       5. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 4 , wherein the/each radiation booster has a maximum size larger than 1/180 times the free-space wavelength corresponding to the lowest frequency of said first frequency region, and wherein at least one radiation booster has a maximum size larger than 1/120 times the free-space wavelength corresponding to the lowest frequency of the second frequency region. 
     
     
       6. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiating structure features at the/each internal port, when disconnected from the radiofrequency system, a first resonance frequency located above the first frequency region, and wherein for at least some of the internal ports of the radiating structure, the ratio between the first resonance frequency at a given internal port of the radiating structure when disconnected from the radiofrequency system and the highest frequency of said first frequency region is larger than 4.2. 
     
     
       7. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 6 , wherein the first resonance frequency at an internal port is located above the first frequency region but below the second frequency region. 
     
     
       8. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 6 , wherein the first resonance frequency at the/each internal port of the radiating structure is above the second frequency region of operation of the radiating system. 
     
     
       9. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiating structure includes a first radiation booster and a second radiation booster, wherein a booster box for a radiation booster is defined as being the minimum-sized parallelepiped of square or rectangular faces that completely encloses the radiation booster and wherein each one of the faces of said minimum-sized parallelepiped is tangent to at least a point of said radiation booster and each possible pair of faces of said minimum-size parallelepiped sharing an edge forms an inner angle of 90°, wherein the smallest dimension of a booster box for the first radiation booster is not smaller than 70% of the largest dimension of the booster box for the first radiation booster, and wherein the smallest dimension of a booster box for the second radiation booster is smaller than 20% the largest dimension of the booster box for the second radiation booster. 
     
     
       10. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one radiation booster comprises a conductive part which takes the form of at least one of a conducting strip, a polygonal shape, a circle, an ellipse, a polyhedral shape, a cylinder, a sphere and a combination thereof, wherein the connection point of the at least one radiation booster is located substantially close to at least one of an end and a corner of said conductive part. 
     
     
       11. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one radiation booster comprises a gap defined in the ground plane layer, wherein the gap is delimited by one or more segments defining a curve, wherein the connection point of the radiation booster is located at a first point along said curve and the connection point of the ground plane layer is located at a second point along said curve, said second point being different from said first point. 
     
     
       12. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein a radiating structure includes a first radiation booster comprising a conductive part and a second radiation booster comprising a gap defined in the ground plane layer. 
     
     
       13. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein two or more radiation boosters are arranged one on top of another forming for example a stacked configuration. 
     
     
       14. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein a radiation booster is located substantially close to a short side of the ground plane rectangle, and wherein the radiating structure features at the internal port associated to said radiation booster, when the radiofrequency system is disconnected, an input impedance having a capacitive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions. 
     
     
       15. The antennaless wireless device of  claims 1 , wherein a radiation booster is located substantially close to a long side of the ground plane rectangle, and wherein the radiating structure features at the internal port associated to said radiation booster, when the radiofrequency system is disconnected, an input impedance having an inductive component for the frequencies of said first and second frequency regions. 
     
     
       16. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiating structure comprises a first radiation booster, and a second radiation booster, wherein a first internal port is defined between a connection point of the first radiation booster and the at least one connection point of the ground plane layer and wherein a second internal port is defined between a connection point of the second radiation booster and said at least one connection point of the ground plane layer. 
     
     
       17. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 16 , wherein the first radiation booster is substantially close to a first corner of the ground plane layer and the second radiation booster is substantially close to a second corner of the ground plane layer said second corner not being the same as said first corner, wherein the first and second corners are in common with two corners of the ground plane rectangle associated to said ground plane layer and said two corners are at opposite ends of a short side of the ground plane rectangle. 
     
     
       18. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 16 , wherein the first and second radiation boosters are substantially close to a first corner of the ground plane layer, the first corner being in common with a corner of the ground plane rectangle, wherein the first and the second radiation boosters are such that the first internal port, when the radiofrequency system is disconnected, features an input impedance having an inductive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions, and the second internal port, also when the radiofrequency system is disconnected, features an input impedance having a capacitive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions. 
     
     
       19. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 16 , wherein the first radiation booster is located substantially close to a short edge of the ground plane layer and the second radiation booster is located substantially close to a long edge of the ground plane layer, wherein said short edge and said long edge are in common with a short side and a long side respectively of the ground plane rectangle and meet at a corner. 
     
     
       20. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiofrequency system comprises at least one matching network to transform the input impedance of the radiating structure. 
     
     
       21. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein the radiofrequency system comprises as many matching networks as there are frequency regions of operation of the radiating system. 
     
     
       22. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein the/each matching network includes a reactance cancellation circuit comprising one or more stages, with one of said one or more stages being connected to a port of the radiofrequency system, said port being for interconnection with an internal port of the radiating structure. 
     
     
       23. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein the radiating structure features at a first internal port when the radiofrequency system is disconnected from said first internal port an input impedance having a capacitive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions, wherein a matching network interconnected to said first internal port via a port of the radiofrequency system includes a reactance cancellation circuit that comprises a first stage having a inductive behavior for all the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions. 
     
     
       24. The antennaless wireless device according to  claim 20 , wherein the radiating structure features at a first internal port when the radiofrequency system is disconnected from said first internal port an input impedance having an inductive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions, wherein a matching network interconnected to said first internal port via a port of the radiofrequency system includes a reactance cancellation circuit that comprises a first stage and a second stage forming an L-shaped structure, with said first stage being connected in parallel and said second stage being connected in series, each of the first and the second stages having a substantially capacitive behavior for all the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions. 
     
     
       25. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein the at least one matching network further comprises a broadband matching circuit, said broadband matching circuit being connected in cascade to the reactance cancellation circuit, wherein with the broadband matching circuit the impedance bandwidth of the radiating structure is increased, wherein the broadband matching circuit comprises a stage that substantially behaves as a resonant circuit in one of the at least two frequency regions. 
     
     
       26. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein a matching network comprises: a reactance cancellation circuit connected to a first port of the radiofrequency system, said first port being connected to an internal port of the radiating structure; and a further tuning circuit connected to a second port of the radiofrequency system, said second port being connected to an external port of the radiating system, wherein said matching network further comprises a broadband matching circuit operationally connected in cascade between the reactance cancellation circuit and the further tuning circuit. 
     
     
       27. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 20 , wherein the radiofrequency system comprises or has exactly as many matching networks as there are radiation boosters in the radiating structure. 
     
     
       28. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiating structure comprises a first internal port that features, when said first internal port is disconnected from the radiofrequency system, an input impedance having a capacitive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions of operation and a second internal port that features, when said second internal port is disconnected from the radiofrequency system, an input impedance having an inductive component for the frequencies of the first and second frequency regions of operation. 
     
     
       29. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein the radiofrequency system comprises a frequency selective element to separate, or to combine, the electrical signals of the different frequency regions. 
     
     
       30. The antennaless wireless device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one radiation booster is arranged within another radiation booster such that the booster box of said at least one radiation booster is at least partially contained within the booster box of said another radiation booster.